unaffordable
Americanadjective
Explanation
If something is unaffordable, it's too expensive. A house that costs millions of dollars is unaffordable for almost everyone. This adjective often describes things that cost too much money for the average person, like unaffordable rents in a particular city or unaffordable health care. When you can afford something, it's within financial reach; you can manage to purchase it. Unaffordable things are priced too high for your budget or bank account, like those ultra-rare sneakers you covet.
Vocabulary lists containing unaffordable
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In Honduras, José Enamorado, a plantain farmer, said his father received free cataract surgery from Cuban doctors last year, an operation that otherwise would have been unaffordable at $2,000.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
Housing costs over 30% of a household’s gross income are considered unaffordable, and are typically far too expensive for the average American.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026
He said Japan’s famous ski resorts are becoming increasingly unaffordable, which he blamed on an influx of tourists.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
The government insists that their current pay is fair, and Health Secretary James Murray has described the union's demands as "unrealistic, unaffordable and unsustainable".
From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026
The MD offered antibiotics and antispasmodics but Jeanne had no insurance, the remedies were unaffordable.
From How and When to Be Your Own Doctor by Solomon, Steve
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
